AOPA will back off on using Canada as a flawed example of privatized air traffic control after its Canadian counterpart protested AOPA's "lack of understanding of the situation in Canada." Bernard Gervais, president of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, particularly chafed at a column written by AOPA President Mark Baker in the September edition of AOPA Pilot in which Baker wrote: "General Aviation in Canada no longer thrives, and it's unfortunate to see pilots there don't have the same options we enjoy here in the United States." Gervais said in an email to Baker that GA is alive and well in Canada and his 17,000 members "are largely satisfied with the service we receive from Nav Canada and all of them take exception with the idea that Canadian GA is dead." Gervais got an immediate response from AOPA Pilot Editor-in-Chief Tom Haines. He said the column by Baker was written before COPA had made its position clear during meetings at AirVenture and AOPA "will stop painting with such a broad brush when referring to the impact of privatization on other nations."
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/canadians-satisfied-with-private-atc